Attachment for guitars.



PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903 E. Q. BERGREN. ATTACHMENT FOR GUITARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

flu J/mneyS 1 Mawumom o. c,

UNITED STATES Patented November 3, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST Q. BERGREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALE TO GEORGE DORN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ATTACHMENT FOR GUITARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,054, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed November 10, 1902. Serial No. 130.622. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST Q. BERGREN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Guitars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel attachment for guitars designed to act upon the bass or lower stringers of the instrument to change the pitch thereof as the position of the players hand on the neck of the guitar is shifted, and thereby enable the player to produce the bass chords principally on the open strings and without the necessity of using the fingers to bar such strings.

The object of my invention is to produce a device of this character by the use of which the production of difficult chords on the guitar is facilitated and made more certain than by the use of the hand alone.

A device embodying my invention embraces generally a part which extends across and is adapted to bear upon or bar the strings of the guitar and is connected with a movable frame which is adapted to be shifted by the fingering-hand of the player, whereby as the hand of the player is moved longitudinally of the neck of the guitar while playing said device follows the hand, so that notwithstanding the position of the hand on the neck of the guitar the pitch tones of the open bass strings have the same relation to the treble strings as when the fingering-hand of the player is at the head of the guitar. In this manner the principal chords to be produced on the lower strings may be produced on the open strings and without the necessity of using the fingers to bar said strings. The traveling bar referred to consists, preferably, of a roller mounted on a frame which is slidably mounted on the neck of the guitar, whereby the bar has a rolling and a noiseless contact with the strings.

Referring to the drawings illustrating a practical embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 illustrates the position of my attachment on a guitar. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a fragment of the neck of a guitar, showing my attachment applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the guitar-neck above the roller-bar and looking downwardly with the thumb-piece in a changed position. Fig. 4 is a plan section of the device. Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken through the neck, showing a modified form of attachment. Fig. 6 illustrates a still further modification of said attachment.

As shown in the drawings, Adesignates the sounding-board of a guitar, A the neck thereof, and A the head, in which are seated the usual keys at for tightening the strings a.

B designates as a whole my novel attachment, which consists, essentially, of a bar B, which extends transversely across the strings from one side to the other thereof and bears downwardly on said strings. The name-bar herein employed is intended to designate the function of said part as a means for barring the strings, such as is done by the fingers of the player. By preference said bar has the form of a roller and is mounted on an axle 13 which is attached to or formed on a frame which encircles the neck A and has sliding engagement therewith. Said frame consists, in addition to said axle B of two parallel frame members B B located one on each side of the neck of the guitar and connected at their lower ends by means of a transverse member 13, extending beneath the neck. Said transverse member B consists of a flat strip, which is apertured at its ends to receive the members B The lower ends of said members are screw-threaded to receive nuts 5 2), between which said transverse member is clamped. Said frame also embraces a longitudinal member B which is disposed parallel with the neck and is attached to the transverse member 13 between the ends thereof, as shown in Fig. 4. Said longitudinal member is adapted to have bearing and guiding engagement with the under face of the neck or a track or way thereon. The ends of said longitudinal member B of the frame may be fashioned to provide grooved shoes 12 for engagement with a centrallylocated ridge or track aharranged longitudinally of the guitarneck on the under side thereof, as shown in Fig. 5, or said longitudinal frame member may be provided with projections (9 adapted to engage a groove a in the under side of said guitar-neck, as shown in Fig. 6. I prefer, however, to provide between said frame and guitar-neck a rolling contact, and for this purpose said longitudinal frame member B is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 as provided at its ends with grooved rollers 19 which are adapted to engage the track at of the guitarneck. Obviously the reversal of this construction-to wit, the provision of a groove in the guitar-neck and bearing-wheels b having corresponding shaped peripheries adapted to rest and roll in said grooves-will produce the same guiding action as in the construction described The frame is provided beneath the neck of the guitar with a thumbpiece 0, which is adapted to be engaged by the thumb of the fingering-hand of the player for the purpose of moving the attachment longitudinally of the neck as the players hand is shifted on said neck. In the present instance said finger-piece is loosely attached by means of a rivet c or otherwise to the longitudinal member 5 of the frame.

The axle B and frame members B maybe made ofasingle piece of metal bent to proper form or may be made of two parts joined in anysuitable manner. It is, of course, necessary that the axle be true, and said axle may be incorporated in the frame in any preferred manner which will manintain the alinement thereof.

The rolling bar B is preferably rubbercoated to permit the same to yield sufficiently to ride over the frets of the guitar-neck and atthe same time bear closely upon the strings between the frets. Obviously the same general result maybe secured if the transverse member B of the frame be made of spring metal, and in such event the rolling bar may be made non-yielding.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the structural details without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited thereto, except as made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. An attachment for guitars comprising a bar adapted to extend across and bear upon the strings, a frame therefor which is freely movable at all times longitudinally of the guitar-neck, said frame embracing a member which is longitudinally disposed with respect to the neck, guiding means between the ends ofsaid member and the rear face of the guitarneck and athumb-piece attached to said longitudinal member.

2. An attachment for guitars comprisinga roller adapted to extend across and bear upon the strings, a frame therefor which is freely movable at all times longitudinally of the guitar-neck, said frame embracing a member which is longitudinally disposed with respect to the guitar-neck, guiding means between the ends of said member and the rear face of the neck, a spring-bar attached to said longitudinal member and extending transversely thereof, and a shaft for said roller which is connected at its ends with the ends of said transverse spring-bar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of November, A. D. 1902.

ERNEST Q. BERGREN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. HALL, GEORGE R. WILKINs. 

